(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive interior member placed on apart that receives sunlight entering through a window, for example, a dashboard or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to an automotive interior member that can control temperature rise in the interior member itself and its surroundings, that can reduce heat transfer to an occupant such as a driver or passenger, that can reduce load on an air conditioner, and that can reduce glare caused by reflection toward the inside of an automotive compartment, even when the automotive interior member receives sunlight entering through a window of an automobile.
(2) Description of Related Art
Generally, in an automobile such as a car, a truck, and a bus, when an interior member such as a dashboard receives sunlight entering through a window of an automobile, the temperature of the interior member becomes significantly higher than that of outside air. The temperature of the interior member becomes, for example, as high as 70° C. or more, when an on-board air conditioner is off. Especially, the temperature of a dashboard rises more easily since a dashboard, which is usually made of a dark-colored material to reduce glare toward a driver, easily absorbs radiant heat from sunlight. When the temperature of the interior member rises, the ambient temperature also rises and a lot of heat is transferred to a driver and others near the interior member. The radiant heat from sunlight reflected on a dashboard is also transferred to the driver. Therefore, especially when a driver starts to drive after parking, quick cooling of a driver's seat and its surroundings is required, and an air conditioner is forced to run with high load.
The load on an air conditioner caused by radiant heat from sunlight entering through a window is said to make up, for example, in summer, 40 to 50% of the total load on the air conditioner. As a result, the load on the air conditioner makes up 10 to 15% of the total energy consumption while an automobile is moving. Therefore, even when an interior member receives sunlight as mentioned above, efficient control of temperature rise in the interior member will provide a good driving environment, reduce load on an air conditioner, improve gas mileage by reducing fuel consumption for running an air conditioner, reduce emission of exhaust gas such as CO2, and reduce harm on the environment.
In order to cool down a dashboard, a device that blows cold air through the inside of a dashboard (for example, see JP-U-06-057707, hereinafter referred to as conventional art 1) and a device that blows cold air over the upper surface of a dashboard (for example, see JP-A-05-338434, hereinafter referred to as conventional art 2) have been suggested.
In the conventional art 1, the inside of the upper part of a dashboard is hollowed. The hollowed space is provided with an inlet through which a part of cold air from an air conditioner is introduced and an outlet that connects the hollowed space to the outside of an automobile. The outlet is provided with a shutter.
In the conventional art 2, the device is provided with a cooling means and a blowing means, and the upper surface of a dashboard is provided with an air outlet. From the air outlet, the air cooled by the cooling means is blown over the upper surface of the dashboard with the blowing means.